Seol Ki-Hyeon's burgeoning reputation was further boosted as his equaliser at Molineux earned Wolves a draw with promotion-chasing Sunderland.

Not that the South Korean knew much about his 13th-minute leveller which went in off the back of his head, just 60 seconds after Stephen Elliott opened the scoring with a spectacular strike.

Seol was nevertheless entitled to claim the goal as the fifth of his season and his fourth in seven games.

The hosts went close to scoring in the fourth minute when Joleon Lescott, at the back post, narrowly failed to meet a flick-on from Seyi George Olofinjana following a right-wing corner from Mark Kennedy.

But Sunderland hit back in style with 12 minutes gone as they found the net with their first attack of the game. Stephen Wright advanced from defence and found Jeff Whitley, who held up possession before Elliott, cutting in off the right wing, took charge and dribbled across the face of the box before blazing an 18-yard drive into the far corner.

Parity was soon to be restored though as Kennedy flung a hopeful cross into the Sunderland box, goalkeeper Thomas Myhre advanced but failed to claim and Seol rose highest to divert the ball home.

Kenny Miller then went close to adding a second for Wolves before George McCartney's long-range effort was tipped wide by a scrambling Michael Oakes.

Lescott wasted a second opportunity, this time from 18 yards out, as the half-hour approached and with less than 10 minutes to the break Myhre was quickly down to deny Miller.

Then, late in the half, Julio Arca headed narrowly wide from McCartney's cross.

Colin Cameron replaced Olofinjana for the start of the second half and an unchanged Black Cats side soon found themselves under renewed pressure as Wanderers skipper Paul Ince fired over from range.

At the other end, Carl Robinson's fierce effort forced Oakes into more emergency measures but an acrobatic double-handed dive to the goalkeeper's right steered the shot away from goal.

But thereafter both teams lost their fluidity, typical of the malaise being Miller's canny run to split the Sunderland central defenders and spring their offside trap, only for Kennedy to scuff the pass behind his team-mate.

But Scotland international Miller had no-one to blame but himself in the 66th minute when he sliced a presentable chance yards wide of target.

Ince was closer with a falling half volley but Myhre again watched the ball fizz wide ahead of Arca going close at the other end and Miller nodding substitute Shaun Newton's right-wing cross wide.

Try as they might, Wolves failed to find the winner despite intense pressure which at one stage forced Gary Breen into a foul on Miller referees other than Phil Joslin might have deemed worthy of a red rather than yellow card.